Kraftster wrote:Do those books have a transactional drafting focus, Shyster? Or do they discuss more general stuff that is transferable to brief writing in the context of litigation too?

More general stuff that should be transferable to litigation (well, maybe not How to Write Better Business Letters). I do both, so I'm trying to improve both. If you want a brief-writing book, Bryan Garner's The Winning Brief: 100 Tips for Persuasive Briefing in Trial and Appellate Courts is fantastic. It's sitting about 18 inches to my right on my desk as I type this. I've bought pretty much every legal-writing book that Bryan Garner has written, but that’s the one most tightly focused on brief writing.

Great, I will look into that Garner book. I didn't ever set out to be a litigator, so, I'd like to find a couple texts just like that. I tend to be more of an even-handed let-logic-carry-the-day guy when I argue from all of my philosophy papers in undergrad, so, the one area I am always looking to improve is being more of an advocate when I write.

still reading Clash of Kings. Has anyone read 'All the pretty Horses' or the Border trilogy from Cormac McCarthy? I may be jumping to that next, The Road is still stuck in my head, and has jumped up to one of my fave books, but I haven't read anything else by him...

Kerouac's 'On the Road' was a great summer read a few years ago. Just picked up Steinbeck's 'Travels with Charley: In Search of America'. I was looking for another nostalgic/road-trippy type read. Will I be happy with that choice?